"We say, of course," somebody exclaimed, "that they give two turns!Also that we want to hear about them."

I can see Douglas there before the fire, to which he had got upto present his back, looking down at his interlocutor with hishands in his pockets. "Nobody but me, till now, has ever heard.It's quite too horrible." This, naturally, was declared by severalvoices to give the thing the utmost price, and our friend,with quiet art, prepared his triumph by turning his eyesover the rest of us and going on: "It's beyond everything.Nothing at all that I know touches it."

"For sheer terror?" I remember asking.

He seemed to say it was not so simple as that; to be really at a loss how toqualify it. He passed his hand over his eyes, made a little wincing grimace."For dreadful--dreadfulness!"

"Oh, how delicious!" cried one of the women.

He took no notice of her; he looked at me, but as if, instead of me, he sawwhat he spoke of. "For general uncanny ugliness and horror and pain."

"Well then," I said, "just sit right down and begin."

He turned round to the fire, gave a kick to a log, watched itan instant. Then as he faced us again: "I can't begin.I shall have to send to town." There was a unanimous groanat this, and much reproach; after which, in his preoccupied way,he explained. "The story's written. It's in a locked drawer--